I just got the 2007-2008 NHL salary cap number: The ceiling is $50.3 million, which is good news for high-rollers like the Red Wings.

As of today the Wings have just about $33 million spoken for, between contracts and bonuses that were pushed over from last season’s payroll (from the contracts of Chris Chelios and Dominik Hasek).

General manager Ken Holland wants to leave at least $1 million as an emergency fund, so that leaves around $16.3 million free. Maybe around $2.5 million of that is going to go towards re-signing Dominik Hasek, something the Wings are trying to get done before Sunday’s start of free agency. That leaves nearly $14 million to attempt to re-sign Mathieu Schneider, Danny Markov and Todd Bertuzzi, with Schneider and Bertuzzi as the priorities.

If deals can’t be reached with those two, the Wings will look elsewhere for a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward.

The cap has increased heftily in the two years since it was imposed, going from $39 million in its first season, 2005-2006, to $44 million last season, and now it’s already topping $50 million.

Well, this is good news for Wings fans. I was afraid that the cap would be about the same as last year and they would have to re-sign those players with only $10M. Since Hasek has said that he will only play for Detroit, I'm not very worried about him. He should sign soon for about $2-2.5M.

This leaves about $14M for Schneider, Markov, and Bertuzzi, plus anyone else they want to bring in. Schneider is going to be the most difficult and will probably cost them about $5M. The fun begins tomorrow!

_________________

June 30th, 2007, 11:57 am

wjb21ndtown

IMO $5M sounds like a lot for a non-physical defender... I realize he moves the puck well and helps spark the offense, but I would prefer we sign some big physical beast that will protect the front of the net.